Solving India's overpopulation

Among the subjects related to the environment, overpopulation is an important aspect. This is why the India’s overpopulation has caught my attention in the writer’s workshop class. Overpopulation is defined as the condition of having too many people living in a particular area. India is considered as the second most populated country in the word with 1.13 billion people (Rosenberg, 2007). It has 16% of the world’s population and occupies no more than 2.4% of the total dry land (Tradechkra, n.d.). In spite of the fact that India’s population policy is older than that of the other countries, the Indian rapid growth had been a fear since early 1952 (Haud, 2002). Nowadays population growth is considered as a problem, particularly Indian population growth, because not only do demographers trust that China’s population will be surpassed by India by 2030 while Chinese population will start dropping (Rosenberg, 2007), but also the population growth causes first more pressure on the economic resources of India, second more unemployment, and third malnutrition of children (Tradechkra, n.d.).

Some people point out that India’s overpopulation is a result of religious’ teaching drawing a correlation between religion and the population growth. While other people who have deeply thought about the problem see the problem differently, for example, Puniyani (2004, par.7) who said,” The rise of population is more an index of poverty and lack of education rather than the teaching of any religion. And no religious community is spread uniformly all over India”. For a better understanding of India’s problem, those numbers are important, “almost 40% of Indians are below 15 years of age, 70% people live in village and the remaining in towns and cities” (Trade Chakra, n.d., par. 1). Also four mains reasons have been presented to explain why the growth of this population. The first reason is illiteracy; the second reason is the belief that a male child is a godsend because in Indian’s custom, the bride’s parents have to pay money the groom’s parents (Wax, 2008). The third reason is women’s early marriage in rural areas (Trade Chakra, n.d,). The last reason is the declining of death rate because of better medical accessibilities. In order to control the population the government had taken several measures for example, “subsidized birth control pills and condoms are being distributed, but most emphasis has been on sterilizations” (The New York Times, 1982, par. 3), persuading people to use contraceptives in order to avoid pregnancy and discouraging child marriage (Trade Chakra, n.d.), but the population is still growing up.

Nowadays, India’s overpopulation is serious problem, because of its consequences and its importance. Three solutions that I consider very helpful can be used to decrease the population growth and solve the problem. First, the government should increase the education’s accessibility, second the government should improve the social system, and also the government should give more opportunities to Indian’s women.

Education is one means to solve the problem of overpopulation in India. According to the data from the World Bank little data book 2004, 55% of Indians’ women were illiterates; however to the total average of the India’s population which are illiterates is 39% (Free world Academy, n.d). In fact, illiteracy is a barrier when the government wants to promote development. “Education is the only way to favor family planning acceptance” (Free world Academy, n.d). More investment in education is necessary to face the future demand of qualified workers for this next century. There is a need of more private schools to balance problems in public school, and increase the access of education, for example give more facilities to those who are able to open new school (primary, high school, vocational school). The nations which are very developed and where people have better life conditions such as Canada, France invest in education. “Only mass education can alleviate poverty in getting a higher growth rate” (Free world Academy, n.d.). One way to find the money to invest in India’s education is a redistribution of the public resources which is used for the army, also a fiscal reform will bring money to education by more contribution of the higher class, those who have more money. (Free Academy, n.d.).

Second, improving the social system, people in India should have better access to some services, as healthcare, better retirement. Healthcare should not only include facilitation for people to visit a physician when people are sick but also emphase family planning, helping families to have access to different contraceptives methods, and then they can choose the best methods for themselves, the one which fits their needs. For, “The decisions about childbearing and contraceptive fulfil a person’s needs only when they reflect individual desires and their values and are based on accurate and relevant information and are medically appropriate” (Prakasam, 2003, par. 2), because government or physician can not predict which method will fit the population, as we know, human organism reacts differently for each person when using medicine. Also, there are many religions in India, depend on the belief, the perception for such a method that many persons consider efficient may not be use for other person because of their beliefs. It is the same for food, there are some foods that a lot of people enjoy, but other consider impure. The government should work in order to have a better retirement for those who are not able to work, because most of the poor people believe that they should have more children, in order to take care of them when they will not be able to work. If the social system offer good retirement for those are able.

The government should also give more opportunities to Indian’s women; when we consider the importance of Indian’s women in its history, “In India, women were urged by men to take to the streets during the country's struggle for independence from Britain” (Wax, 2008). Indian’s men believed that they needed the women to reinforce the battle against England. Women are victim’s inequality in many aspects such as education and healthcare (Wax, 2008). Changes should start by considerate female birth in India differently, some changes in the society thinking about male and female. “According to a study published in the British medical journal the Lancet in 2006, almost 10 million female foetuses were aborted in India in the preceding 20 years. The practice -- outlawed, though the law is seldom enforced -- is on the rise partly because more people can afford sonograms” (Wax, 2008). It is true that male and female are different, but they are complementary. Any society can survive without a balanced between male and female. If the entire world was male, how would people reproduce? Divya Kulshreshtha, head of Smile Foundation mobile women’s health clinic was quoted as saying "If India is really going to become a world superpower, it has to stop killing its girls in the womb. If India wants to shine, then its women should be allowed to shine" (Wax, 2008, par. 16). In ancient time Indians’ girls did not have access to education and were married early, so now, women who have jobs and earn money can wait to get married because they are not economically dependent (Wax, 2008). The fact is the sooner a woman get married the earlier she starts having babies, if women can find more jobs’ opportunities, the childbearing is will delay, as end result less children will be born. In many countries, women have jobs and also take care of their family; more opportunity for Indians’ women will affect significantly the population growth.

As I have shown, increasing education’s accessibility, increasing the social system, and giving more opportunities to Indian’s women are three helpful solutions to solve India’s overpopulation. As the example of China, India’s overpopulation can be solved. We, people, can solve our problems if we keep a positive attitude and work hardly.


Bibliography
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